Andrew Tarantola

Is the guided missile launcher of yours taking up too much space in your home? No worries! Turns out, you don't even need to recycle it. Houston PD and the ATF were summoned to the Kingwood neighborhood in Houston after residents discovered a rocket launcher set out with the curbside trash.

"We have it in our custody," said Gary Orchowski, an ATF special agent. "We're awaiting word from the U.S. military on whether they want it back or we are going to destroy it." The launcher appeared to have just come out of storage and likely doesn't have much monetary value, Orchowski explained. and the home it was dumped in front of belongs to a Sergeant with the the Houston PD.

Interestingly, none of this is illegal. It is legal to own spent rocket launchers, and it's not illegal to throw them away. "The preliminary examination of it reveals that the rocket launcher was inert and no explosive material has been identified, so it was not classified as a destructive device," Orchowski said. "There was no violation of the Gun Control Act, the National Firearms Act or any federal explosive laws."

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The ATF says that it isn't pursuing any action against the launcher's owner but are confiscating the device. [Your Houston News via Chron - Image: imageegami / Shutterstock]